


Video Saved the Radio Star

by AgentOfShip



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Radio, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Flirting, Strangers to Lovers, kind of, rivals au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:06:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25653352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentOfShip/pseuds/AgentOfShip
Summary: Fitz is the rising star of The Playground's radio station with his science show. He thought the obvious next step is getting a better time slot but that was without taking into account the Jemma Simmons, the rising star of Zephyr Radio. Fitz has only one choice, take down the competition.
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Comments: 136
Kudos: 127
Collections: AOS AU August 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is written for AU August and inspired by a gorgeous moodboard by the wonderful @ziuziuchna :)  
> A big thank you to the lovely @Libbyweasley for making my words better <3

"Alright folks, I hope I made the concept of spacetime a little clearer. From the number of people calling today I'd say not but I'm afraid we only have time from one last call. Mack is making big eyes at me and you know how scary he can be."

Fitz glanced towards Mack on the other side of the window with a cheeky grin and the big man just rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he pressed the button to send in the next call. 

"Hello, I'm Melinda from New York. It's a very interesting theory but if we follow this logic and there is in fact no past, present or future, it means that our lives are already planned and whatever I do, certain things will happen to me, like destiny in a way. I find that pretty depressing. Don't you?" 

Fitz smiled. It was the question that came up the most whenever Fitz mentioned that theory. 

"It's just a theory of course and unless you had some sort of super power, you still can only see the past and present. So choices still appear as yours to make. But you shouldn't focus on that part. This theory is just one of the many theories about the universe and that's the beauty of it. That's the beauty of science. We never stop trying to understand the world. We get to make plenty of experiments and come up with theories and sometimes, when we're very lucky, we get to prove it. And if we don't, we just make new theories. I'm not the kind who likes quoting famous authors, I'm not a poet, but I'll make an exception with one from Richard Dawkins: Isn't it a noble and enlightened way of spending our brief time in the sun, to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake up in it?"

From the other side of the window, Mack shook his head in amusement. He knew his audience loved when Fitz got poetic about science in his Scottish accent. And despite what he said, Fitz might have started doing it more often ever since that cute bartender --who was a fan of his show-- had brought him free drinks all evening the other night just to listen to him talk about science. Mack still made fun of him though because he didn't ask her out even though that was apparently what she wanted. Fitz wasn't quite over his last breakup and between his job at the radio station and his job as a professor at the university, he just didn't have time for a relationship anyway. And he wasn't the one night stand kind even if Katey would have been interested in that.

"It's a beautiful way of saying it," Melinda answered, her voice softer now. "Thank you, Fitz. The show was as fascinating as always."

"And thank you for listening Melinda. Have a good night." 

Mack cut the line and Fitz said his words of good night, announced the topic of next week's show and relaxed in his seat as he took off his headphones. It had been a good one. And it seemed like people agreed with him. Despite what he had said a minute ago, Fitz knew that a lot of people calling didn't mean they didn't understand but that they'd loved it. He never expected he would love this so much when Fitz was offered his own show. It had happened when the director of his department at the university had asked him to go talk about black holes for a news segment almost two years ago. The interviewer had told Fitz he was really good at explaining complicated things and that he had a good voice for radio. The person who would then become his boss agreed. And now here he was with his own show and enjoying it immensely.

Fitz had thought it would be a nice opportunity to get more people interested in science --in addition to the extra money-- and now, two years later, he was hoping even to get a better spot and a longer show. Friday night at ten wasn't a bad one but he knew he could do better. And with a show like tonight, maybe that was finally going to--

Fitz’s thoughts were interrupted by Mack's large hand patting him on the back.

"Good job, Turbo!" Mack said with his usual warm, friendly tone, ignoring Fitz's sputtering as he was, as always, caught off guard by Mack's strength. Fitz's tall friend was the station's chief engineer and also had his own show about eighties pop culture. Apparently, after having talked their boss' ears off about killer robot movies one night, he had decided to give him a chance, thinking it'd be a waste not to use such a voice on the radio. Which was one of the things Fitz loved here. Very few professional radio hosts but all of them truly passionate about their subject. "You broke your record on the number of phone calls again. I think it's official, you're a radio star!" 

Fitz chuckled. "How very eighties of me." 

Mack laughed.

"Come on man, I'm starving. Buy me a burger and a beer to celebrate your future new prime time show." 

Fitz perked up, practically bouncing from his chair. "What do you mean? Did Coulson say something?"

"Hey, hey, calm down, Turbo. He didn't say anything but he'd be crazy not to give you a better spot with the audience you get every week." 

"Oh..." However encouraging that was of Mack, it was still a little disappointing. He'd been waiting for a while for that phone call from Coulson. Still, Fitz packed his notes and books in his bag and put on his jacket. He could never say no to food and beer. 

"Wait," he said once they were on their way to the elevator. "If there's nothing official, why should I be the one buying?"

"You're making up for those free beers you didn't deserve." 

"Hey, just because I get offered free drinks doesn't mean I should--"

"It's just tough love man, you need to get back out there and ask someone out. If not Katey, then someone else. That breakup was three years ago and I don't want to hear any of this "I don't have the time" crap. You deserve happiness." 

Fitz's face softened for a moment. He supposed it was nice of Mack and, given that a few other of his friends kept repeating the same thing, maybe they were onto something. Still, he couldn't let them know he thought they were right.

"A burger and a nice fresh beer offered by my friend Mack would make me _very happy_ , you know." 

Mack laughed and shook his head again. "Nice try, Turbo. Nice try. But it's been too long since you've been with someone if you think a burger and beer can replace love and sex."

* * *

Beer wasn't happiness but when drunk in large quantities, it could make him pretty cheerful. That was until he woke up the next morning with a mighty headache and then he wasn't quite so cheerful. More grumpy and miserable. But his mood was greatly improved when he got a text from Coulson asking if he could come by the station as they needed to talk about changes happening in the coming months.

That just had to be it.

After chugging a whole water bottle with an aspirin, Fitz jumped into the shower, put on the first clean clothes he could find and drove to the station. 

"I'm surprised to see you so early," Coulson said with a smirk as he gestured for Fitz to sit down. "Heard you had quite the night with Mack last night." 

"Ah...um...yes," Fitz replied, feeling his cheeks heat up before straightening up in his chair and giving Coulson a confident smile. "We had to celebrate a very successful show." 

Coulson's smirk just widened. 

"Yeah, about your show..." He trailed off, taking a sip of his coffee and Fitz was pretty sure it an excuse to make a pause for effect. "I've been meaning to ask you something. Have you listened to Jemma Simmons' show?" 

"What?"

"Jemma Simmons? Haven't you heard of her?" Fitz grumbled something about not having the time for listening to radio and Coulson just gave him one of his funny looks before continuing. "She's the new science show host over at KBA. She's really good. Brilliant and funny. I can't believe you haven't watched her show once. She's the competition, Fitz."

"Oh right," Fitz said, huffing as he fell back in his chair. "They do that ridiculous video thing at KBA, yeah?" 

"Yes," Coulson replied, his smirk back in full force. "They're filming some of the shows and putting them on YouTube. And since you mentioned it, that's just what I wanted to talk to you about."

Fitz frowned. He wasn’t sure where this was going but it seemed like he wasn’t getting a better timeslot.

"It's a real plus and we think that's why they're gaining so much audience. So we're considering doing videos for a few of our shows, as a testing ground, and Mack and I agreed your show would be perfect to--"

"No!" 

"Fitz, wait, let me--"

"If you start filming it, it's not radio anymore and I like radio. I can come unshaven and in my PJs if I want to."

"Then come in your PJs, make it a thing, people will probably find it adorable." 

Fitz pouted, crossing his arms over his chest, perfectly aware that he was being childish.

"I-I...I just, I just don't like being filmed!"

"You know it's just a camera, right? It's not gonna steal your soul." 

Fitz huffed and sighed. He was hoping for a better spot and instead, he was getting _this_. 

"You know, it might be good for this Jemma Simmons but if people see me, you might just lose audience." 

Coulson burst out laughing. 

"What?!" Fitz whined. What could possibly be so funny? 

"Why do you think we decided you'd be a good candidate for video?" Fitz shrugged. "You know, for someone so smart, you can be pretty naive." 

Fitz was about to protest but Coulson stopped him, stood up and started walking towards the door. 

"I have to go now, but listen Fitz, it's not a done deal yet so just think about it, okay?" He grinned and Fitz felt like he was going to regret staying long enough to hear what was coming next. "Video _could_ make you a radio star, Fitz." 

It took all Fitz had not to roll his eyes all the way to the back of his head.

"Alright, see you next week."

* * *

Fitz sat crossed-legged on the couch with his popcorn bowl in his lap, opened his can of Coke and leaned over to reach for his laptop. With a sigh, he pressed play on the first video of the "Science Hour with Dr. Dr. Jemma" KBA YouTube playlist. The fact that she'd been pretentious enough to put both her PhDs in the name of her show didn't bode well for how much he was going to like her. He too could have gotten a second PhD if he'd wanted to. 

"Good evening everyone and welcome to "Science Hour with Dr. Dr. Jemma. I'm Jemma Simmons and tonight I'll have Daisy to help me over there behind the window." Jemma pointed towards the glass and a pretty brunette waved at the camera. He was starting to understand why KBA decided to do video if all their employees looked like these two. But looks were usually the least important criteria when you were doing radio. 

Fitz pressed pause and took a deep breath. He'd promised himself he'd watch at least one show to see what all the fuss was about Jemma Simmons and try to be a little bit objective about it. This first episode was about toxins and poisons of the animal world. It was a little scary but it should be interesting. He pressed play again and settled back into the couch with his popcorn. 

Two and a half shows later, Fitz pressed pause again to go and get more Coke from the fridge. Fine, so maybe she was rather gorgeous and fiercely smart but... but nothing actually. It's been more than two hours and he came out empty on the critique front. She wasn't in fact pretentious. She was confident and Fitz loved that about her. Even her nerdy humor had made Fitz laugh more than once and humor was supposed to be his thing. And she also did the charming accent thing that was his other trademark.

Oh. Maybe it was a fake accent. He could do research on her and expose her for the scammer she was. 

Fitz shook his head as he flopped back into the couch. This was ridiculous. She was just really good and her popularity would surely keep rising until it was well above his. He was tempted to just go to bed and give up his career in radio to focus entirely on academia. Maybe he too could get a second PhD, even a third if he worked hard. But this episode on the latest developments in astrophysics was really interesting. Not quite as interesting as the one he had just done on spacetime theory but astrophysics was his second love after engineering and she didn't have a degree in that. So he should probably finish watching it before making life changing decisions.

* * *

"Of course, astrophysics can feel a little abstract and very far away but it's one of the most fascinating fields of science. It's a lot of time spent gazing at the sky and only seeing the emptiness of space but sometimes you discover something new and exciting and it makes it all worth it. Who wouldn't be excited to become the new Galileo discovering another Jupiter?"

"WHAT?!" 

Fitz paused and replayed the last part twice before he let the smile pulling at his lips completely take hold of his face. Either Jemma Simmons was just speaking too fast or she wasn't as knowledgeable as she thought she was.

"Galileo discovering Jupiter," Fitz repeated with a chuckle. 

Well. Either way, there was going to be a change in the theme of his next show. It would give him extra work since he had already started working on the theme he had set for his next show but it would be worth it. If Coulson wanted him to study the competition, he was going to do just that. Grinning, Fitz watched the last few minutes of Jemma Simmons' show just to be safe, then closed the window and opened a new document to start planning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update :) But now that I'm no longer busy with AU August I will most likely update this story and my other WIPs much more frequently now :)

"Oh that stupid, arrogant... petty little man!" 

"Oh wow! Language Dr. Simmons, there could be children listening."

Jemma glared at Daisy as she grinned, looking around the quiet little coffee shop where they were practically alone save for the two students focused on their laptops on the other side of the room.

"I can't believe he would attack me like that when it was obviously just a slip of the tongue. Of course I know Galileo only discovered some of Jupiter's moon. Who does he think I am, honestly?"

"Uh… me?" Daisy offered as she sat back in her chair. She seemed more amused than angry about it and it did nothing to calm Jemma's righteous fury. 

"You know, it's typical of men too. Focusing on the tiniest things to belittle women because they feel threatened by their intelligence. Everyone's telling me to look up to him just because he's mildly popular, but I really don't see what's so special about him. He's probably just someone who took a minor in science in uni, has a little charisma and a nice enough voice and couldn't find a better job. And I mean—"

Jemma cut herself off as Daisy slid a file towards her side of the table. She frowned and Daisy just grinned at her as she nodded towards it. Inside was what looked like a very thorough internet search about Leopold Fitz. Correction: Dr. Leopold Fitz. Jemma would have told Daisy she could have simply emailed her the research but she suspected that Daisy liked the dramatic effect of sliding a paper file like they were in a detective movie. 

"Oh," she let out as she quickly perused the file. 

P.h.D in engineering from M.I.T at only eighteen years old. A degree in physics. A lot of publications in several prestigious science journals and currently professor of engineering at M.I.T. 

"Okay, fine… But he's still a petty, despicable man who—"

"Turn the page around," Daisy cut her off and Jemma sighed. Wasn't it her job as best friend and co-worker to support her when she needed to vent about a man and rival who made her angry?

"Ugh!" Jemma let out before closing the file and crossing her arms over her chest. He really didn't make it easy to hate him and it only made Jemma angrier. "Well, just because he teaches science to poor kids doesn't mean he can't be a misogynist arse!"

Daisy grinned before taking a sip of her coffee. 

"Of course he can and he's totally an asshole for attacking you on that Uranus bit—"

"Jupiter."

"Oh right… Anyway, I just thought you'd like to have all the information so we could proceed to planning your revenge." 

Jemma's lips pulled into a wide smile.

"So you think I should get revenge?" 

Daisy shook her head in amusement.

"Like you haven't been thinking about it." 

"I mean I have, of course... but wouldn't it be giving him attention he doesn't deserve?" 

"Or it could expose him for the petty little man afraid of the brilliant and sexy competition that he is?" 

"I like how you think," Jemma said as she leaned over the table, the cogs in her brain turning at full speed already.

"So," Daisy started, taking another sip of her coffee and looking around before leaning forward and lowering her voice as if someone was actually listening. "What is the theme of your next show?"

* * *

"Of course, we all know of Marie Curie's work on radiation that she did with her husband and for which she received a Nobel Prize in physics. But what's extraordinary about the famous Polish turned French scientist is that, despite all the obstacles, she also managed to get a Nobel Prize in chemistry, making her the first and still only person to get two Nobel Prizes in two different fields of science. You see, not every man back then was as extraordinary as Pierre Curie and many of them tried to stop her, first from getting into university and later from getting the jobs she deserved because they felt threatened by her extraordinary mind. Who knows, if they'd spent less time being misogynistic, maybe they would have had time to work on something deserving of a Nobel Prize. And it seems like it's a lesson some haven't learned yet or they might have gotten a second PhD rather than waste their time pointing out meaningless mistakes on the radio." 

On the other side of the glass window, Daisy muffled a gasp under her hand, her eyes widening in surprise and, Jemma thought, a little delight. 

"Anyway. That is all for today. I'm afraid we won't have time for questions but what can I say? It really is a fascinating topic I had so much to say about. But please leave your comments and questions on the video and I will do my best to answer all of them. Have a good night and see you next week for another trip into the fascinating world of science."

Jemma smiled and waved at the camera until the light turned off and Daisy gave her the thumbs up meaning they were off the air. Then she flopped back in her chair with a loud sigh. Neither of them said anything until they were sitting in the favorite booth of their favorite bar with a cocktail in front of them. 

"So," Daisy started. "That was um…intense." 

"I know!" Jemma cried out. "That was way too much, wasn't it?" 

"No, it's just… it's the first time I've seen you go off script. That last burn was awesome though," Daisy said, snorting. "The bit about men creating machines and making them as big as they can to compensate the small size of their—"

"I know, I know, I know," Jemma repeated as she let her forehead hit the table. She didn't even care how dirty it probably was. She would need a very long shower to get rid of the shame of having sunk so low. "It was so crass. I can't believe I said that on air." Just because he had worked on a modified truck engine when he was in M.I.T didn't mean anything about his anatomy. It was half-baked psychology at best.

"The bit about the Scottish accent was funny though. A little inappropriate but funny." 

Jemma groaned, not bothering to look up at Daisy. She didn't even mean it and now she was going to pass for one of those snobbish English women looking down at other people's accents. Stupid Leopold Fitz with his stupid show and his stupid voice and his stupid— 

The beeping of her phone interrupted Jemma's thoughts and she slowly lifted her head up, not quite sure she wanted to know who was texting her. And she was right too because it was Bobbi, her boss. Great, now she was probably going to get fired for being completely unprofessional. For a minute, she wondered if maybe she should just turn down her phone, get drunk and deal with it in the morning, but she decided against it. Better to rip the band-aid off as soon as possible. She reached for her phone and opened her messaging app.

Bobbi: If you're still at the station or around, can you stop by my office? We need to talk about your show. 

"Oh my god, that's it, I'm going to get fired!"

Daisy rolled her eyes and took Jemma's phone from her hand and winced slightly before giving it back to Jemma.

"You're not gonna get fired for this…Maybe just a little…scolding."

"Oh no," Jemma let out, properly whining now and Daisy just shook her head in amusement. Didn't she realize how bad it was? 

"Come on, I'm sure it won't be that bad, you're still one of the rising stars of KBA!"

"But Daisy. I've never done something like that in my life. I always got straight As in school. I was never late, never even got detention, always did my homework on time. I like following the rules, it makes me feel good and—"

"Nope! You like following the rules when you think they're good rules. That guy needed to be told off and I don't think Bobbi will be too mad about that."

Jemma scrunched up her nose. "You think?"

Daisy nodded. 

"Come on, finish your drink and I'll come with you."

* * *

"Hi," Jemma said timidly as she walked into the office. "Did you want to…" Oh no, Melinda May was there too. She was definitely getting fired and the look Daisy gave her only confirmed it. Bobbi was in charge of all editorial and artistic decisions but May was the big boss and only came to the station when it was about something important. "Oh, hello Mrs May," Jemma added. 

"Just May is fine," she said, her face just as indecipherable as always as she nodded towards the chairs on the other side of Bobbi's desk. They barely gave Daisy a glance as she sat next to Jemma. Most people had learned not to question Daisy's actions most of the time, even their boss. 

"So, we wanted to talk about tonight's show," Bobbi started.

"Before you say anything, I wanted to tell you that it wasn't exactly what I had planned. I mean the things I said about Leopold Fitz, they were—"

"Jemma," Bobbi tried to cut her off but Jemma needed to let it all out as soon as possible, hopefully change their minds about firing her. 

"I realize it's a little different from my usual tone. I mean it wasn't completely off topic given what most of the women I talked about had to go through but I know I went too far and it was very unprofessional and I'm..."

"It was great." 

"…so sorry for lowering the quality of- I'm sorry what?" 

May's lips just slightly pulled up as she exchanged a look with Bobbi. "It was great," she repeated and Jemma frowned.

"Freaking hilarious," Bobbi added and Daisy chuckled as she bumped Jemma's shoulder in a way that meant "I told you so." 

"Really?" 

Bobbi grinned. "Didn't know you had it in you. That guy must have really pissed you off." 

"I…uh… yeah, I guess he did. So that's what you wanted to tell me?" 

"Yes, and also that you're going to have to keep it up." 

"What?" 

"Look," Bobbi said as she turned her computer screen towards her. A YouTube page was displaying the video of tonight's show. "People are going crazy about it. You’ve never had that many comments and it's only been an hour."

There were a few questions about the show, about the works of Marie Curie or other scientists Jemma had mentioned but there were mostly a lot of "You go girl" and "Sick burn" and quite an amount of "Can't wait for his answer" as well. She supposed there were a lot of women out there who enjoy hearing a man being told off for his sexism.

"And you're also trending on Twitter."

"So what? I'm just supposed to keep sending jabs at him? But what if he doesn't answer?"

"Oh trust me, he will," May added and Jemma raised her eyebrows in surprise. She didn't even know May listened to _her_ show so her listening to the competition was quite surprising. "He's good and you're his most serious competition. He'll want to defend his title, believe me." 

"Okayyyy…. but people are going to get tired of it eventually." 

Bobbi shook her head.

"Two very smart and sexy scientists fighting via a radio show? People are going to go crazy over it." 

"Sexy? But we don't know what he looks like."

"He's got a sexy accent," Daisy said and Bobbi nodded enthusiastically. 

"He sounds just like my drunk uncle Duncan, nothing sexy about that," Jemma said a little grumpily. She was being a little dishonest about that and she knew it. She actually kind of liked hearing someone who reminded her of home and she couldn't deny that coupled with the soft tone of Fitz's voice, it was overall rather agreeable. Up until he decided to act like an asshole and point out her tiniest mistakes. 

"Well, smart is sexy anyway," Bobbi said and Jemma sighed. It was no use trying to discuss it and she supposed she was the only one to blame for the situation she was in. She didn't like the idea of being popular for the wrong reasons but if she kept this strictly professional and about the science, then she supposed it could even be interesting. And if it helped her gain more audience and even maybe a better spot for her show in the process, then it would be a nice bonus. 

And that was how it began.

* * *

"What's extraordinary about Williamina Fleming is that she wasn't destined to be an astronomer. She followed her husband to the United States, who then proceeded to leave her and she had to become a maid. She just happened to be a maid for Edward Pickering, director of Harvard College Observatory. Her wife noticed that Williamina's talents were wasted as a maid and he hired her for administrative work before teaching her to analyze stellar spectra. Funnily enough, Williamina ended up having a much more brilliant and memorable career than her boss. Not only did she discover more than fifty gaseous nebulae, including the famous Horsehead Nebula, over three hundred variable stars, and 10 novae, but she also participated in the development of a designation system for stars and other astronomical phenomena. Needless to say, she was the kind of woman who would have never confused Jupiter with one of its moons."

"Ugh!" Jemma groaned as she put her glass back on the coffee table with more force than was necessary. "I can't believe he's bringing this back again!" 

"Shush!" Daisy said, bumping her shoulder with a wide grin on her face. "I want to hear the rest. There's only a few minutes left." 

"Now, I don't pretend to be half as interesting as Williamina Fleming, Alexander Bell or any of the other illustrious Scottish scientists we talked about today, but I've been told my latest project could be of interesting to my audience and since I have a few minutes to spare before it's time to take your calls, here it is. In the past months, I've been working on a set of miniature drones."

For the next few minutes, he explained in detail how every one of his drones was programmed to track something different: video, scent, biological samples, etc… And despite really wanting to find it all boring, Jemma had to admit it sounded really quite innovative and fascinating. She even had to bite her lip not to smile at the cute name he had found for them. The Dwarves, because there were seven of them. 

"And I am currently working on a more effective flight mechanism that would make them even lighter, less than fifty grams each, and really small. Anyway, that's it for tonight. I will now be taking your calls. I'd love to know your thoughts on today's show and, as that was something new, I'd like to know if you'll be interested in hearing more about my personal projects in the future. I'm also especially interested in knowing what Dr. Dr. Jemma Simmons has to say about men working on miniature machines… That is if her Majesty understood anything I said in that vulgar accent of mine." 

"Oh, I'll let him know what I—"

"No!" Daisy cried out, jumping to grab Jemma's phone before she could. "You know what happens when you're too spontaneous, right?" 

Jemma pouted as she sat back on the couch. Daisy was probably right but it was no fun. They remained silent as they listened to the few people calling to tell him how interesting his show was and how very charming his accent was and how he shouldn't change a thing. By the end of it, Daisy wasn't even trying to hide her delight. 

"He's really good. Talking about all those Scottish female scientists to discredit your accusation that he was sexist." Jemma just grumbled but Daisy was right again. And to be honest, she wasn't even sure he was sexist at all. From what she heard about him, he was just competitive and would have probably done the same with another man. "And making you sound like a stuck up English old lady. Oh and…" 

Daisy snorted before taking a sip of her wine. "I'm pretty sure he told you that he actually had a very big—"

"Daisy! I know what that meant." Jemma took her head in her hands. "I really should have kept it strictly about the science." 

"Well, anatomy and biology are science I guess…" Daisy grabbed Jemma's glass from the coffee table and bumped it over Jemma's forehead, forcing her to look up. "Come on, don't take things so seriously. Rivalry can be fun, right?" 

Jemma's lips pulled up slightly. 

"It can." 

"And even more people are going to tune in on Monday, waiting for you to destroy him once more." They laughed and Jemma took her glass, making it clink against Daisy's before taking a sip. "And in the meantime, you have to admit he's pretty damn entertaining, right?" 

Was the brilliant man with a warm voice, nice accent and excellent sense of formulation and comedic timing entertaining? 

"I suppose he is rather entertaining, yes."

* * *

Over the next few weeks, it became a ritual. Daisy would come over to her place on Friday night for pizza and wine as they listened to Dr. Fitz's show. They would debrief it and then try to find out how they could include answers to his show within what Jemma had planned for the coming Monday. 

As weeks passed, Jemma couldn't help but admit that she was enjoying this more and more. Talking about science had always come naturally to her so the constant teasing going on between her and Fitz had added an element of challenge that was wonderfully stimulating. Because it had become mostly that, teasing, between them. Jemma was now entirely convinced there wasn't in fact an ounce of sexism in him and, each week, she found herself waiting for Friday night more impatiently. She couldn't wait to know what he'd have to say about her and then get into research mode about him. Jemma now knew exactly when he was about to say something about her because his tone changed and became more playful. And if Daisy was to be believed, she was just the same, sounding like a schoolgirl who had just stolen a cookie from her grandma's kitchen when the time came to mention Dr. Fitz.

Two weeks ago, he'd managed to dig up an article she had written when she was only sixteen and, despite actually praising the content, had also pretended to praise the rather embarrassingly pompous style. The next time, she had found an abandoned project of his from when he was just as young. While the engineering part was perfectly sound and actually quite interesting, the biochemistry part clearly lacked the knowledge only a slightly too confident teenage genius would have thought he could do without. Other times, it was just a jab about her Englishness or his Scottishness and he had even taken on the habit of calling her his biggest fan. And given the fact that Jemma never really wanted to miss an episode and had refused to go out several times for it, for scientific purposes of course, Daisy had taken on the habit of saying that Jemma was indeed Fitz's biggest fan. 

But both their audiences kept growing and, to Jemma, it really just felt like the kind of rivalry she could have had with an almost equally brilliant brother if she'd had one. That was until Fitz's show about new forms of energy. 

A few times during the show, Fitz made his usual jabs at her Englishness, using what was supposed to be her voice and accent to react to some of the most out there and non viable projects he'd mentioned. Jemma had huffed every time but, as always, Daisy had insisted that it was in fact dead on. Sometimes, Jemma thought it was really Daisy who was his biggest fan. But the whole time, she couldn't help wondering if Fitz was going to talk about her experiment about the use of biofuel as a rocket fuel. After all, it was something she had worked on in university and even though the explosion it had provoked had proven that it was a viable solution, she couldn't expect him to go digging for everything she ever wrote or worked on when preparing his show. He certainly had better things to do. Like perfecting his English accent for instance.

"And now let's talk about biofuel." Daisy bumped her shoulder excitedly. "Now, this isn't exactly a new form of energy but I stumbled upon an article proposing to use it as rocket fuel. Now, as always, my favorite English double PhD has been more than thorough and wrote a fifty page article detailing her biofuel composition, every step of her explosive experiment, a bibliography longer than The Lord of The Rings and more numbers than there are in Pi. And that was just one assignment."

"Nerd!" Jemma laughed at Daisy's interruption. Honestly, this could also apply to the two of them.

"Anyway, as I stumbled upon this last Saturday when preparing tonight's show, I was left with two options. Go out for a beer with Mack Daddy." 

Jemma burst out laughing at this. Mack, the eighties specialist at The Playground and apparently Fitz's buddy, had been called that once by one of his guests a few weeks ago, and now Fitz used it as often as he could with the same smile in his voice. 

"Or stay home to read through it all. I bet you can guess what I chose, right? Because why go to all the trouble of meeting new, possibly very uninteresting people, when I have the opportunity to spend the night in the company of Dr. Dr. Jemma Simmons. And thanks to modern radio, not only can I hear her voice saying the words but I can also see her face as she does."

Jemma turned to Daisy and they both raised their eyebrows up to their hairline but didn't say a word as Fitz spent the last ten minutes of his show talking about her experiment. Of course there were a few jabs at her phrasing here and there, but overall it was very flattering. 

"So um…was that flirting?" Jemma finally asked once the show was over.

Daisy snorted. "Flirting? The guy spends his Saturday nights reading about you and imagining you. I think we're past flirting. He wants to show you his engine." 

"Daisy!"


	3. Chapter 3

"And that's it for tonight. I hope you enjoyed this second show on the mysteries of the cosmos. It's a vast subject obviously and there's still so much to be said about it, but hopefully this time I didn't make any mistakes." Jemma looked right at the camera with a daring smile —of course she hadn't made any mistakes— as if she was looking right into Fitz's eyes. Apparently, Mack thought the same if the shoulder nudge that almost made him fall off his stool was anything to go by.

"I will now take a few calls. Daisy, if you please."

"Hu hello, I'm Sam from Chicago and I'd like to know who's your favorite between Bill Nye the Science Guy and Neil DeGrasse Tyson."

"Hi Sam!" Jemma replied with a sweet smile. It was a little girl calling, maybe seven or eight from the sound of her voice. Fitz had a rule that when a kid called at the end of a show, Mack should always put them through, whatever their question was. He would always encourage a child’s interest in science. Apparently, Jemma had the same rule. Of course she had. 

"Well obviously, they're both brilliant and it makes it pretty hard to choose. Neil's series on the cosmos is wonderful and you can never go wrong with Carl Sagan. On the other hand, I really appreciate a practical experiment. But I'm gonna tell you a secret, Sam. Don't repeat it, okay?" 

"Promise!" little Sam replied excitedly. 

"As much as I love these two scientists," Jemma stage whispered as she pretended to look around for someone who might be listening, which was completely adorable. "I tend to like my celebrity scientists with more of a Scottish accent and the humor that goes with it." 

She concluded her sentence with a wink directly at the camera that had Fitz's cheeks grow hot and a concert of whistles and whoops and all sorts of noises start around him. 

"Shut up, I'm trying to listen," he grumbled and it only earned him more whistles and laughs and awwws. 

"Yeah come on, keep it down, guys," Mack said with his much more commanding voice. The noise died down for a second until Mack added "Fitz is trying to listen to his girlfriend."

Fitz let his head fall onto the questionably clean bar. He should never have flirted with her in the first place. Not that he didn't mean what he'd said because he totally did. She was the smartest, most charming person he... well not _knew_ exactly but anyway... No, the problem was that, apparently what people liked even more than two scientists sending each other jabs through their radio shows was them flirting instead. 

And what had started as him and Mack having a drink at the bar one Monday night had turned to something else entirely when the new bartender, Hunter, had recognized Fitz's voice and insisted on putting on Jemma's show so that he could watch _his crush_. And not only did he have to deal with Hunter and Mack's knowing looks but ever since Jemma had started flirting back, more and more people had started joining them. And now, half the station joined them for drinks and inappropriate comments on Fitz's non-existent love life.

"So when are you finally going to meet for real?" Deke asked once the show was over. Fitz sighed as he turned to Mack. 

"What's he doing here already?" For some reason, the audience seemed to like Deke a lot and he was now a recurrent guest in Mack's show. Fitz still very much enjoyed annoying Mack by calling him Mack Daddy and he owed that to Deke. But he really was… a lot. And for some reason, he also seemed weirdly invested in Fitz's love life. 

Mack laughed as he shook his head. "Come on Turbo, give him a chance. He grows on you after a while."

Fitz shrugged and turned back to Deke. "I'm not going to meet her."

"Oh come on, she's super into you too."

" _I_ am not _that_ into her—"

"Not yet," Hunter cut him off. "But clearly— Ow!" 

Fitz laughed as Piper, who worked behind the bar with Hunter, had just smacked him over the head. 

"Don't be disgusting in my bar!" 

"It's not _your_ bar. All three of us have equal parts!"

"Yes, but Davis would agree with me so we have the majority."

"You two never agree on anything," Hunter protested, his accent getting thicker as his voice got higher. 

"We agree on the fact that you're a moron," Piper said with a grin and Hunter just rolled his eyes as he walked away, supposedly to wash the counter but really to sulk because no one contradicted Piper. Fitz and Mack kept telling each other they should suggest to Coulson to give those three a late time slot at the radio for all the insomniacs out there. "Chaos hour with Piper, Davis and Hunter." 

"Anyway," Piper said as she leaned across the bar in front of Fitz. "The lady wants you, Fitz. Do something about it." 

"Oh for god's sake…" 

Mack and Deke burst out laughing and Fitz even heard people giving each other high fives behind him. 

"Come on, guys. I told you she's doing it just for the audience. I bet it was her boss who told her to flirt back." 

Mack shook his head. "Maybe it does help with the audience but it doesn't mean she's not also sincere. She has the biggest smile on her face whenever she talks about you." 

"Yeah, and that wink, man. Isn't that a universal sign that she wants to, you know, bump lemons with you?" Deke added with an exaggerated eyebrow wiggle. 

"Really?!" Fitz let out, exasperated. Not sure if he was talking to Deke and his ridiculous euphemisms or wondering why again Mack had brought him along. 

Mack just laughed and shook his head. "Come on, man. She can't be that good of an actress on top of being gorgeous, funny and the smartest person on radio." 

"Hey!" It was bad enough that she was gaining more audience every week and beating him half the time now despite the fact that he'd been doing this for much longer than she had. Now his best friend was betraying him.

"Mr Mackenzie is right, you know." 

"Hey Enoch, I told you to call me Mack." 

Fitz turned around to find Dr Enoch (Fitz didn't think he'd ever heard his last name) standing right behind him.

"Mack is right," Enoch repeated in this monotonous voice of his. For someone who'd spent his entire career studying human behavior, it was kind of ironic that he sounded so much like a robot. But apparently, that was what the audience liked about him. It was like listening to C3-PO tell them about ancient cultures. And Fitz had to admit he usually liked his weird, dry sense of humor but he'd rather he (and everyone else) stay away from his pathetic love life. "Dr. Jemma Simmons' body language and her micro expressions are very clear. Her words are sincere and evoking you gives her very real satisfaction and enjoyment." 

There were more whoops and whistles behind Fitz and he sighed as he turned to Piper who just nodded and grabbed another glass behind her to start filling it with beer.

"Enoch, why would you say that?" 

"I just want your happiness, Dr. Fitz. Isn't that what friends are for?"

"Yeah, be happy Fitz and give the lady more satisfaction and enjoyment," Hunter cried out from the end of the bar. 

After that, Fitz downed his beer and did his best to tune out most of the bar's crowd discussing his non-existent love life in his presence.

* * *

"Come on, Fitz! Lots to discuss!" 

Fitz grumbled his way through the corridor, struggling to keep up with Coulson's rapid pace with the pounding in his head and his aching muscles. Why was it that Coulson always wanted to talk to him after he's had one (or ten) too many beers? But he supposed it was his fault for drinking on a Monday night so he tried not to flop too much in his seat when they finally made it to his office and gave Coulson a smile, hoping what they had to discuss was good news.

"Water?" Coulson offered with a knowing smile as he sat down facing him and Fitz nodded gratefully, taking the bottle Coulson was already handing him.

"So...exciting news. We're moving you to a better and longer time slot."

"Really?!" Fitz perked up. 

"Yes. We still need to work out the weekly schedule but it should be put into effect after the holidays."

"That's perfect! A month will give me ample time to start thinking of new topics that didn't work within a single hour. And of course, I'll need to check my uni schedule but that shouldn't be—"

"Fitz, there's something else," Coulson cut him off. 

"Oh yes, sorry. Please continue." Probably a raise. It made sense with his rise in audience and longer time slot. Not that he was doing it for the money but a little extra was always welcome. Oh, this day was shaping up to be much better than it had started.

"Alright, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. We're going to do video and we want you to be one of the first to try, along with Mack and a few others." 

"But why?" Fitz whined as he fell back in his chair. Not such a good day after all. "It's radio. Radio doesn't need video!"

Coulson smiled somewhat sympathetically but Fitz knew him well enough to know it was a lost battle. 

"Your audience has been rising every week over the past few months and it's great but Dr. Simmons beats you half the time and we all know it's because of the video."

"Yeah, cause she's bloody gorgeous! But that won't work with me," Fitz grumbled. 

"Okay, first of all this puppy dog crush is adorable, really. But also, are you really that oblivious?" 

"What?"

"What do you think you and Mack have in common?" 

Fitz frowned. 

"We're… adult, human males?" Fitz offered. 

"Technically true. Listen, the main reason we're doing this is because you're hosts to two of the most popular shows and people have actually been asking for videos. And people have been asking for videos because…" Fitz shrugged. "...you're both attractive."

"Don't be ridiculous!" 

Coulson shook his head. 

"Listen, you're modest, which is a great quality, but whatever you say, it's happening."

Fitz sighed before taking a sip of water.

"We'll make sure it's very discreet. Just a camera or two, monitored from the control booth. No makeup, you wear your usual clothes, same as always except people will see you. We'll try for a month and if it's really that terrible, we'll reconsider, okay?"

"Yeah, alright," Fitz said, trying to focus on the positive. A better time slot and more time to talk about science. 

"Alright. Now that it's settled, tell me... When are you going to ask her out?" 

"Oh, for god's sake!"

"Cause if you want her number, I have contacts at KBA. I could get it for you although... you could do it on air. That'd be really cute and romantic and it would really boost our audience."

Fitz glared at him and Coulson just grinned wider. He couldn't believe he was getting in on it too. It was like he was surrounded by teenagers. "Alright, bye Coulson," he said as he stood up and walked to the door. 

"Oh come on, Fitz. I was kidding," Coulson called after him with laughter in his voice. "For the last part I mean. I can really get you her number if you want!"

* * *

"And we now have a little time for your questions. Mack, can you send in the first one, please?" 

Mack gave him a thumbs up and pressed the button to send the call to him.

"Hi, I'm Kara from Los Angeles. I noticed that you barely mentioned Dr. Simmons today. Is there something wrong? Did your boss ask you to stop?" 

Fitz rolled his eyes as he could see Mack trying to muffle his laughter on the other side of the window. 

"Hello, Kara. And no. It's not like mentioning Dr. Simmons is on my checklist when I prepare a show." That was a lie, obviously. He always tried to answer whatever she'd said the previous week but now even his boss and students were getting in on it, asking questions about her and even going as far as telling him they'd make a cute couple, which had him blushing to the roots of his hair and his students laughing and awww-ing. So he'd thought he'd go light on the rivalry and flirting until they all calmed down a bit. "Sometimes, however vastly knowledgeable Dr Simmons is, the topic just doesn't call for a mention of her."

"Oh. Alright," she said, sounding unconvinced. "Thank you, Dr. Fitz. I loved tonight's show by the way. I didn't know electricity could be so fascinating." 

"Thank you, Kara. I'm glad you liked it and thank you for calling." 

The call disconnected and Mack sent in the next call. 

"Hello, I'm Jeff from Washington. Loved the show tonight."

"Thank you, Jeff. Hi!" 

"So have you two ever met? Are you planning to?" 

"Oh for…" Fitz trailed off. He wasn't supposed to curse on air. And that was another proof right here that they shouldn't do video or everyone would have seen Fitz face-palming and his eyes rolling to the back of his head. 

"We haven't and we're not planning to. I'm afraid that whatever people are saying, this relationship is strictly virtual and based on a common passion for science and on air bantering." 

"Sounds like a very good start for a romantic relationship," Jeff replied. 

On the other side of the glass, Mack doubled over laughing while giving him two thumbs up. Fitz really hated people sometimes. 

"I suppose so but I'm afraid we'll never know! Thanks for calling Jeff. Mack, do we have more calls? About science please?" 

Mack disconnected the call then gave him a thumbs up as he sent in another call. If this was another question about Jemma, he was going to murder someone.

"Good evening, Dr. Fitz." Fitz's eyes went wide. He'd recognize this voice and accent anywhere. And if Mack's very wide smile was anything to go by, he'd known before sending the call to him. "I was listening to you while taking a bath and you sounded like you were in desperate need of new topics of discussion."

Again, Fitz was glad that there was no one to see him but Mack because it felt like the temperature had suddenly gone up twenty degrees in the studio. He muted his mike for a second, straightened up and cleared his throat before unmuting it again.

"Good evening, Dr. Dr. Simmons. How lovely to come to my rescue. Have you enjoyed the show tonight?"

"Oh yes, I've been enjoying myself immensely." Fitz's went a little wide as his cheeks felt even hotter. He avoided Mack's gaze as he tried his best not to picture Jemma naked, in her bath _enjoying herself_. "But please, call me Jemma. We've spent enough evenings in each other's company." 

Fitz could hear the mirth in her voice. She knew what she was doing to him and she was doing it on purpose. The minx!

"Alright, Jemma. Then I suppose you can call me Fitz. Did you have a question about the show? a suggestion? A correction? A declaration of admiration from my biggest fan, maybe?" 

She laughed wholeheartedly at that and the sound did something in his chest. He'd always thought she had a lovely laugh but it was something else entirely when he was the one provoking it. 

"None of that I'm afraid. I just wanted to go talk a bit more about dielectric polarization. It's a fascinating subject, don't you think?" 

"I do actually," Fitz replied, the smile on his face growing. It had been one of his favorite subjects back when he was studying physics in university and he didn't recall anyone else calling it fascinating.

From that moment, the conversation flowed easily between them and Fitz forgot about time, or the fact that he was on air or everything that wasn't Jemma Simmons' brilliant mind. Until Mack had to actually knock on the window to remind him that they should have been off the air for five minutes. And that was when he noticed that he wasn't alone anymore as Coulson, Deke and Enoch had joined Mack and all wore matching grins. Except Enoch whose lips were just slightly tilted up, but for him that equalled a big cheshire cat grin. 

"Well, Jemma. This has been really…interesting but my time is up. Has been for five minutes in fact."

"Oh. Time flies when one's having fun, doesn't it?" 

"Yes. Yes, it does." 

"Then how about we finish this conversation in my next show?" 

"Do you want me to call you from my bath as well?" Fitz asked, teasing.

"No, Fitz, I think it's time we take this relationship to the next level. I want you as a guest on my show."


	4. Chapter 4

"You should undo one more button." 

Jemma startled at the voice just as Daisy appeared in her field of vision, smirking at her through the bathroom mirror. 

"What?" 

"Your boobs look great in that shirt, I'm sure that'll get Doctor Fitz's attention." 

"What? Daisy, I'm not—"

"Oh so you didn't doll yourself up for him?" 

Jemma huffed. She hadn't even noticed there was someone else in the bathroom. Had Daisy been lurking there all afternoon waiting to surprise her? 

"I didn't doll myself up," she started before seeing her reflection in the mirror, the curls in her hair, the extra eyeliner around her eyes, the darker shade of lipstick and, okay, she was wearing her first date shirt. She turned around to face her friend. "Fine, I dressed up a bit but it's just because we're expecting a big audience tonight and I want to look my best."

"Sure…so you're telling me you wearing your "kiss me" lipstick has nothing to do with finally meeting the man you've been outrageously flirting with _on air_ for the past few months?" 

"Oh Daisy, you know it's just for show and it's probably the same for—" 

"Nuh-uh! You can't fool me. I'm there with you during every one of your shows and I'm there when you're listening to him _in your bath_. He makes you all giddy. And you're a catch, babe. I can't believe he doesn't mean it when he flirts. So are you really going to tell me you're not impatient to see if the face matches the sexy accent?" 

"I'm more interested in knowing if he's as smart and witty when speaking to him face to face." 

The conversation they'd had ten days ago had been one of the most exhilarating ones she’d had in a very long time, even if it had only lasted ten minutes. And alright, she was anxious to know if the spark she'd felt then would still be there when he was in front of her. And she already knew what his face looked like. Kind of. She'd seen a very grainy picture of him from when he was sixteen on his first published paper and he was a cute teenager. She didn't need to know more than that.

"Smart and witty…and sexy and flirty and whispering big scientific words in your ear," Daisy sing-songed.

Jemma sighed. It was no use trying to lie to her friend, she just had to hope she wasn't going to embarrass her too much. 

"Fine, the flirting was sincere on my part and I did dress up a bit for him, just in case it was also sincere on his part. I like to be prepared." 

Daisy rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Of course. And if it is?" 

"Well I guess…we'll see." 

Daisy raised her eyebrows. "We'll see?" 

"Absolutely," Jemma replied with a tone that was hopefully confident enough for Daisy not to press any further. Mostly because she wasn't quite sure herself.

"Fine, now let's get ready. You're on air in fifteen minutes and May and Bobbi are already waiting in the control booth." 

"They are?" Jemma asked with a little grimace. 

"Yes, they're very excited about tonight. I think I even heard May laughing earlier," Daisy whispered as if she'd witnessed something scandalous.

May and Bobbi had once more been very excited about Jemma's impulsive gesture. Honestly, it wasn't like her not to think through an idea before voicing it but there was just something about Fitz that made her go a little crazy. By the time her next show was over, May and Bobbi had arranged with Fitz's boss for him to be her guest the following week in exchange for Jemma being the guest of honor for Fitz's first video show. She'd been a little annoyed that they'd agreed to it without consulting her but it was only on principle because she was rather excited about it. She wondered if it was Fitz's idea and she would have asked him herself but it had been a rather busy week at the lab and she'd thought that calling the station to ask for Fitz's personal number would have only added to the gossip. And she could just ask him today. Although it would have to wait for after the show since he would only be her guest for the second part and they wouldn't have the time to meet beforehand. Which she supposed made sense. Their whole "relationship" had started on air, it made sense that they take this next step while also on air.

"Hey, what are you daydreaming about?" Daisy said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Nothing. Let's go," she replied too quickly and Daisy just shook her head before pushing the door to the bathroom. With one last look in the mirror, Jemma undid the top button of her shirt.

* * *

"And with the deadly castor oil plant, we conclude the first part of today's show."

On the other side of the glass in the control booth, May and Bobbi gave Jemma a thumbs up, which meant Fitz had arrived as planned and, also as planned, Jemma supposed, Daisy was being ridiculous, making hearts with her hands and doing a kissy face. Jemma tried to ignore her and carried on. 

"As some of you might know, today is a bit special since I'll be welcoming a very special guest for the next half hour." That was Fitz's cue to walk into the studio and sit across from her as she finished introducing him. "And what better topic to discuss with my former arch nemesis than biomedical engineering as it touches both our fields…" 

Jemma trailed off as she looked up to meet Fitz's eyes. Fitz's very blue eyes set in the middle of his very attractive face. The cute, nerdy looking teenager she'd seen in that picture was very grown up now with a rather fetching stubble outlining the lovely line of his jaw and wearing an unfairly flattering suit. Fitz gave her a smug smile as he sat facing her —the berk— and she sat up straighter, giving him her best, most confident smile. Clearing her throat and ignoring Daisy's gestures and her own burning cheeks, she continued. "So without further ado, I am now welcoming Dr. Leopold Fitz, engineer, university professor and second best science radio show host in town. Good evening, Fitz and welcome to KBA." 

Fitz shook his head in amusement at the last bit.

"Good evening, Jemma and thank you for the invitation." 

"You look very smart tonight, Fitz. I heard you usually like to do your shows in your pyjamas."

"And I'm used to talking to you when you're in the bath," Fitz replied with a crooked grin, seeming very pleased with the way her eyes widened in surprise. "I'm afraid we'll both have to power through our disappointment." 

On the other side of the glass, Daisy was doing the silent screaming thing she sometimes did and, given the circumstances, Jemma was grateful that at least she wasn't actually screaming on air.

Jemma bit her lip to stop herself from telling him that given a choice, she'd like to see _him_ in the bath l rather than in his pyjamas. Instead, she returned his cheeky smile and looked down to her notes to remind herself what they were really supposed to talk about tonight.

"So, Fitz, have you read about SHIELD Tech's latest work in prosthetics using robotics and this new revolutionary polymer?"

From that moment on, words started flowing between them. There was an easy back and forth, just as there'd been for weeks, except this time they were face to face and Jemma could see the smile on his face when he teased her or she teased him back. More than once, they talked over each other and within ten minutes of conversation, they were finishing each other's sentences. To the point where Daisy had to tell her to slow down or they'd lose their audience. It was exhilarating. More than that even. For half an hour, it felt like the world around them had disappeared. Jemma could have stayed here all night just talking to Fitz, forgetting about the cameras and the people listening to them. She even barely noticed the people from the station joining Daisy in the control room or the big guy Jemma thought was Mack, Fitz's friend. They went from talking prosthetics to proper robotics and back to prosthetics and adaptive casts and before Jemma realized it, Daisy was waving at her to remind her she only had a minute left of air time. 

"Well, I'm afraid that's all the time we have with Doctor Fitz but we have exciting news for you," Jemma said, taking her eyes off Fitz to look at the camera. "Fitz, do you want to tell them?"

"Of course, Doctor Simmons," he said, turning to the camera as well. "Hope you're not too bored of seeing me yet because starting in three weeks, we'll start filming my shows as wel asl Mac Daddy's and a few others and Doctor Simmons here has agreed to be my first guest." 

"I have," Jemma added with a big smile. It wasn't technically true of course but she was more than fine with Bobbi and May agreeing in her name. They had so much more to talk about she didn't think one show, or ten, would ever be enough. "Now, we don't have time for questions tonight but, as always, I'll read all your comments on the video. In the meantime, have a really good night and see you next week!" 

She smiled at the camera for a few more seconds as she waited for the red light to turn off then turned back to Fitz, feeling a little shy all of a sudden. She took off her headset and stood up, needing to let go of some of the nervous energy coursing through her. Fitz stood up as well and they met in the middle.

"So… that went well I think," she said and he chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck in what she thought was a nervous gesture.

"Yeah…you can say that. I-I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier and meet you properly before the show."

Jemma shook her head. 

"That's alright and I'm sure the audience really enjoyed witnessing our first meeting."

Fitz laughed and moved a little bit closer, lowering his voice.

"What do you think the comment section looks like under the video?"

"I'd say it probably looks a lot like the control booth right now," Jemma said, nodding towards the control booth where Daisy was talking with her hands excitedly, May was actually laughing and she was pretty sure she saw money being exchanged. 

Fitz made a funny little grimace when he turned back. "To think they're all supposed to be professionals." 

Jemma laughed as she shook her head. "I really liked our conversation tonight, it's kind of nice when I don't have to wait a whole week-end to reply to your teasing." 

"And I felt a lot less silly talking to you directly rather than to my computer screen. I just wished…"

"…it lasted longer." 

"Yeah, Jemma," he said with a soft smile. His accent curling around her name like that did something in her chest. And now, she had her answer. Whatever it was between them wasn't for show. The spark was very much there and she didn't feel like waiting three weeks to see how things would evolve if they spent more time together.

"So hum…did you come with your bodyguard?" 

"What? No, that's not my bodyguard, that's—"

"Oh, your chaperone then?" she cut him off with a teasing smile and he rolled his eyes. "Or did you bring him here to spy on us?"

"Are you done?" 

"Sorry," she said, not feeling sorry at all. The teasing was just as enjoyable as the flirting. "But seriously, did you come together or…"

"Ah no, I came straight from uni and Mack insisted on joining. Wanted to witness _this_ first hand."

Jemma raised her eyebrows at the implication and Fitz blushed adorably.

"Well…how about I walk you to your car then? Keep our conversation away from all the prying eyes?" 

"Sounds great," Fitz said with a relieved smile. 

Jemma directed Fitz towards the elevator, quickly grabbing her handbag and jacket from the control booth on the way and doing her best to ignore Daisy and a lot of people she barely knew somehow holed up in there giving her wide knowing smiles.

"You know, we could easily do another whole show about SHIELD's work in prosthetics," Fitz said as they walked into the elevator, thankfully alone. 

"I know! We barely scratched the surface. Half an hour just isn't enough when you talk with someone who actually knows what he's talking about." 

Fitz grinned at that. 

"Not so bad for the second best radio show host?"

"You know I had to say it, don't you?"

"I would have done the same."

"But when it comes to engineering, you might even get first place."

Fitz's eyebrow raised.

"Would you repeat that on air?"

"Never." 

They exchanged matching beaming smiles before Jemma turned around to walk out of the elevator. Fitz followed her towards the main exit. 

"But seriously, there was so much I wanted to talk to you about, your drones to start with. I must admit I was very intrigued. Oh!" she let out excitedly. "We could talk about it in your show, maybe make it a theme and—"

"Nope!" Fitz cut her off as he stopped walking for a second. "I'm not gonna talk about myself when _you're_ the guest. I already have a few themes ready and one of them concerns the subject of your dissertation."

"Oh... You've done your research, haven't you?"

"Is that really news to you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and a disarmingly sweet smile. 

"Ah...no." She smiled and he ducked his head slightly. Mixed with the slightly smug confidence and smartness, there was a shyness that didn't transpire when he was on air. And it only added to the delightful mystery that was Dr. Fitz.

"Well, that's my car," Fitz said, stopping in front of a small dark blue car. 

"Oh." Of course, she couldn't expect him to be parked miles away from the station. 

"That was very nice," he said, balancing on his heels awkwardly and biting his lip as if he meant to say something. 

Jemma took a step forward and Fitz's throat bobbed as his intense blue eyes locked on hers. 

"Very nice, yes." 

"Jemma, I uh...I was wondering, since we didn't finish that conversation, and uh...it's pretty late..." Jemma bit her lip not to smile giddily at his endearing stammering. He sighed and shut his eyes tight for a second. "Jemma, would you like to go out to dinner? Tonight? With me?"

"Of course I do!"

* * *

Jemma smiled as she looked down to their entwined fingers. She'd loved the feeling of his warm palm against hers as they walked all the way back to her apartment but now he was rubbing his thumb over her sensitive skin, consciously or not, and it had butterflies fluttering in her stomach. At some point during dinner in the cutest little Italian restaurant, she'd grabbed his hand to stop him from teasing her about that review she had where the journalist criticized her fake English accent, and just never let go. It felt right and she didn't want the pink that had settled on his cheeks and the sparkle in his eyes to ever disappear.

The elevator doors opened and Jemma led him down the corridor towards her apartment. 

"Oh no I think my favorite one was the one where you suggested that me working on a big truck engine was to compensate the size of my—" 

"Oh god no, that was so crass! Don't remind me of that." Jemma cut him off and Fitz just grinned wider.

"No, really, that was such an original take on—"

She shushed him with a finger on his lips and Fitz's eyebrows raised up to his hairline. She was suddenly very close to him, very aware of how blue his eyes were and how soft his lips felt against her finger. She pulled her finger away but didn't make a move to step back. She enjoyed the warmth radiating from his body and their entwined hands too much. 

Fitz's mocking grin turned softer.

"It wasn't much worse than you repeatedly calling me out on the Galileo thing," Jemma practically whispered as though not to break the spell. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes shining with something soft and quite mesmerizing.

"That's because it was hard enough to find one bad thing to say about you." 

Jemma bit her lip. Now that was a much better topic of conversation. 

"Fitz, you invited me to dinner. I took your hand. You offered to walk me home. I invited you in for one last drink. It's your turn now." She stepped closer, resting her hand lightly on his chest. "We're in front of my apartment now and we both agree that there isn't a single bad thing to say about me. What do you think comes next?"

Fitz gave her a crooked grin and for a second, she thought he was going to make another joke but then his eyes dropped to her lips and when he looked up they'd gone darker. His hand went up to cup her cheek and their lips met in the middle. Jemma sighed into the kiss. It was perfect, a delicious, gentle slide of lips quickly evolving into passionate as every point of contact, her hands, her lips, her cheek tingled at his touch. She pushed up on her tiptoes to get even closer and Fitz let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her waist as he deepened the kiss. Jemma moaned as he stroked his skillful tongue against hers and pressed her against the door. The feel of his warm, firm body against her had lust coursing through her veins and Jemma reached for the door handle before she completely lost the ability to think. She pulled on it but nothing happened. 

Oh right. Keys. Lock. 

But Fitz's hand moved into her hair and his kisses towards her neck and she forgot all about that. "Love it when you curl your hair like that," he whispered in her ear, his accent in this low growly voice making her toes curl. She tilted her head to the side to give him better access. "Did you do it for me?" 

Jemma rolled her eyes and whimpered at the same time. She shouldn't be so turned on by his smugness but she supposed it was justified given how easily he'd managed to find the sensitive spot on her neck that turned her knees to jelly. 

"No…big audience tonight…needed to look my best for…Fitz!" She gasped as his hand brushed the side of her breast through her thin shirt.

She pushed him back before this all turned very inappropriate for a public place. He looked confused for a second before she took her keys out of her bag and turned around. She fit the key through the hole with shaky hands and grabbed Fitz's hand the second the door was opened. She pulled him inside and crashed her lips to his once more. Without breaking the kiss, she pushed his jacket off his shoulders and he did the same with hers before she pressed him against the wall. 

"So," he mumbled against her lips as he slipped his hand between them to palm her breast fully this time. "The shirt wasn't for me either?" 

Jemma moaned as she arched into his touch and went for his shirt, pulling it from the waistband of his trousers. 

"No," she said, pulling back slightly and grinning at the sight of him. "But the lipstick was and it looks lovely on you." 

"Does it?" She nodded, her smile threatening to split her face in two. She'd spent weeks wondering if Fitz was truly as charming, funny and smart as he seemed to be. Turned out he was all those things and so much more. "Let me see! Do you have a mirror?" he asked, gently pushing her away and taking a few steps to the side, pretending to look around for a mirror.

Jemma grabbed his hand and pulled him back to her. He beamed at her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and the butterflies in her stomach took flight.

"So…do you want that drink or do you want to show me how really tiny those drones are?" 

"What? Why are you— Oh…" He shrugged. "Yeah no, I'm not really thirsty, let me see what else you didn't wear for me."

Jemma giggled as she took both his hands and pulled him with her towards the bedroom. Fitz captured her lips as she blindly opened the door and guided him towards the bed, slamming the door closed behind them. Soon, her laughter was mixed with their moans and whimpers and not long after, there was no laughter at all.


	5. Chapter 5

"Dr. Fitz reporting live from Dr. Dr. Jemma Simmons' bedroom. Today, we're going to talk about one of the universe's biggest mysteries. How did someone like me end up with the perfect angel that is Jemma Simmons?" 

Fitz shook his head at his own silly thoughts and cracked a careful eye open. There was after all a real possibility that he'd dreamt it all. But as he took in his surroundings, Fitz had the confirmation that he wasn't home. This place was too pretty and neat for it to be his place, and rather fitting to Jemma's character, he thought, so that was probably a good sign. 

He turned around in bed and his heart skipped a beat when he saw her on the other side. She was still asleep, her lips pulled up in a slight smile and her hair a lavender scented mess on the pillow. Fitz couldn't help grinning proudly at the sight of the red mark he'd left on her shoulder the previous night and the memory of how she'd reacted to it. In fact, the whole evening replayed in his mind, the show, the way her eyes had sparkled as they were having dinner, how the conversation had flowed between them, her hand in his, their kiss, everything... 

Fitz thought his heart might burst from how happy he felt. He didn't know which one of his friends would be the more insufferable if they could hear his thoughts. And they would be anyway once they knew how things had gone the previous night. After all, they had been quite right about Jemma. She did seem to reciprocate his crush.

Unless it was just a one time thing for her.

No! He shouldn't doubt himself. There was a real connection between them and you couldn't fake the softness he'd seen in her eyes more than once the previous night. And now that they'd spent the evening and night together, Fitz was pretty sure what he felt was more than a crush. He was tempted to wake her up with kisses, make sure they were on the same page, but it was still early and she looked so peaceful sleeping. And so pretty with the light filtering through the curtains making her look like an angel.

So instead, he carefully slipped out of bed, picked up his underwear from the floor and tiptoed towards the bathroom. Maybe he could try to find the kitchen next and make breakfast. Or most likely go out and get them scones from the nice little coffee shop he'd noticed a block or so from her apartment. Or was that too much?

"Sneaking off already?"

Fitz startled and turned around to find Jemma sitting up in bed but her eyes still heavy with sleep.

"No! No, no, no! I just needed to...um...bathroom. Last night was amazing. I mean not just the sex. Everything. And I was hoping to see you again. Not just for my show, before that. A date or..." He trailed off. He wished he could maintain the level of confidence he had when on the air in all aspects of his life. Especially important ones like right now.

Jemma kept looking at him with raised eyebrows for a moment longer before her lips pulled up into a wide grin.

"I was just teasing, Fitz. But good to know where you stand."

Fitz bit his lip as he took a few steps closer to the bed.

"Good because..."

"Because I feel the same."

She gave him a big, bright smile and Fitz felt his heart expand a little bit more.

"Fitz," she asked after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Not that I don't enjoy watching you in nothing but your boxers, because I really do," she said with a look that made his cheeks grow hot. "But didn't you want to go to the bathroom?"

"Oh! Ah...yes. I'll just be a minute," he said, turning around and walking towards the bathroom. Now that Jemma was awake and still naked under the covers, he was in no rush to make breakfast.

* * *

"I can't believe you lied to me," he declared as he walked into the bedroom a few minutes later with his hands on his hips.

"What?" she said, frowning.

"You don't have a bathtub."

She grinned as she sat up straighter, the sheets sliding down a bit distracting him for a second.

"That really made an impression on you, didn't it?"

"Yes!" Fitz let out as he sat on the side of the bed. "You can't mention something like that to me and not expect me to picture it. I have a very fertile imagination."

"I noticed." She bit her lip as she pulled up the sheet just a little bit higher, making it somehow even more distracting. The minx. "It just sounded sexier than saying I was listening to you while eating pizza in my Doctor Who PJs."

"You have Doctor Who PJs? Can I see them?"

She burst out laughing and reached for his hand to pull him back into bed with her. He ended up flat on his back with Jemma hovering over him, the sheet covering her a minute ago completely forgotten. Fitz's heartbeat picked up at the mix of softness and a little lust in her eyes. He reached up to push a strand of hair out of her face.

"I'm serious though, can I see them?" 

She chuckled. "Maybe another time. I don't show my PJs on the first date." 

"But I'll show you mine if you show me yours. They're pretty neat, they have this--"

She rolled on top of him and pressed her lips to his and Fitz soon forgot whatever he meant to say. What sort of crazy man would he be to keep talking about pyjamas when her body was so warm and soft and wonderfully reactive to his wandering hands?

It was a long moment before Fitz spoke again, breathless and completely drunk on Jemma's presence.

"You know," he said as he gently rubbed the skin of her back. It was getting cold already. " _This_ might be a problem for our shows."

She looked up at him with a frown. "Why? Because rivals are not supposed to sleep together? I thought that by now, you would have noticed that it was what everyone expected to happen."

"No, of course I know that," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'll have you know I was one of those people."

She grinned.

"But no, my friend has this theory that once you start having sex, all the tension is gone. And that might be bad for our audience."

"Is your friend Joey Tribbiani from Friends?" she asked with an even bigger grin.

"What? No! He's a real friend...but I-I suppose it'd make sense for him to get his big ideas about relationships from a TV show." Jemma chuckled and put her head back on his chest, her fingers drawing patterns on his chest. It was really hard to care about anything else when she was doing that. Especially when...

"Are you writing your name on me?"

She laughed as she looked up at him. "Yes, cause you're all mine now." He raised his eyebrows. "Unless you'd rather I mark you like you did to me last night."

"Oh no, please don't do that," he said in a mock pleading tone and she grinned at him before nipping at his shoulder then resuming writing her name on his chest.

Fitz sighed happily. It was definitely more than a crush.

"But I guess I can see his point. Isn't that why couples take forever to get together in TV shows? Because then people say it becomes boring."

Jemma looked up again.

"Well, first of all it's stupid." Fitz chuckled. She was probably right and obviously, he was all in favor of people getting together as soon as possible. "And honestly, I'd be surprised if there wasn't already a rumor of us hooking up anyway. So it'd be a little too late to keep it a secret."

"Really? You think so?"

Jemma shook her head in amusement and perched herself up on her elbow.

"Fitz, we left the station together and I received a text from Daisy saying that she was at the bar with Bobbi, May, the giant, I suppose that's Mack, and... do you know who lemon boi and the robot are?"

Fitz rolled his eyes. It was even worse than he'd thought. "That'd be Deke and Enoch. Deke's a guest for--"

"Oh yes, I love him! He sounds so sweet and I love Dr. Enoch too!"

"That's because you don't know them personally," Fitz grumbled and she swatted his arm as she rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, according to Daisy, they were all waiting for us to tell her how the sex was so... Given that they didn't get any news from us since last night, they probably came to their own conclusions. And I don't think they'll keep it a secret for long. Not _my_ friends at least."

"Mine either. And that's why I hate them."

"Awww." She bowed down to press a sweet kiss on his lips. "Don't say that. It's just their own, slightly intrusive and inappropriate way to care for their friends."

Fitz's lips pulled up. Her sweetness and enthusiasm were contagious it seemed.

"And to make money off our backs."

"That too," she replied with a grin before her face turned softer again. "Anyway, whatever that means for our shows, I think you're worth taking the risk."

"I never cared about people's opinion anyway," Fitz replied before kissing her forehead and pulling her close again, sighing when she resumed drawing patterns on his chest. He'd trade thousands of his fans for more nights like last night followed by an infinity of mornings like these.

* * *

"And with this fascinating although slightly terrifying segment about paralyzing poisons --trust me you don't want to mess with this woman given all she knows-- we conclude tonight's show."

Fitz turned to Jemma who was shaking her head in amusement. He'd learned in the past few weeks that, where _he_ was concerned at least, he rather wanted to mess with her a lot. And by messing with her, he meant engaging in conversations about something they disagreed on and pushing it until she got tired of it and shut him up with kisses. He wasn't sure if she still hadn't understood he was doing it on purpose or if she considered bickering about science a sort of foreplay.

"Dr. Dr. Simmons, thank you for coming. It's been a pleasure to have you here tonight for my first ever filmed show."

"The pleasure was all mine, Dr. Fitz," she replied with a smile and a voice just slightly lower than usual that had Fitz's cheeks grow hot. And he'd been worried the tension would be gone once they'd slept together.

"And for all my other fans, I hope seeing my face for almost two hours hasn't put you off listening to the show in the future." Jemma gave him a soft smile at this. These past few weeks had been a formidable ego boost but he still didn't quite believe that so many people, starting with Jemma, were interested in seeing him. "Just remember that Dr. Simmons won't be here every week and it'll be back to just boring old me next week."

"Oh but I'd love to come more often. Every time if I could," Jemma said with a mock innocent smile and Fitz's eyes widened as he nearly choked on his own saliva.

"That's-that's... good to know Dr. Simmons. I suppose we'll have to...um... discuss it."

"But of course," she replied, sounding way too proud of herself.

Fitz shook his head before looking towards the control booth where Mack was grinning from ear to ear next to an equally grinning Daisy. Those two were getting quite chummy and Fitz wasn't sure if he liked it or not. There were things he'd rather tell Jemma himself instead of having Mack spill the beans to Daisy, who would repeat it to Jemma immediately. But he supposed it was out of his control now. Mack gave Fitz a thumbs up meaning they still had time.

"We have a few minutes to spare so we're going to take a few questions now. Mack, if you will."

"Hi, I'm Robin from New York and I'm a big fan of both your shows. It's so great to see you together in the same show."

"Thank you, Robin," they both replied in synchrony before Jemma added "It's been a lot of fun for us. We both love a little competition but as with everything in science, cooperation works even better."

"About that," Robin started, seeming a little hesitant. "There's been rumors about you two being together now, like _together_ together. Is it true? Is it serious?"

They had both only done one show between their show together and now so questions like these were to be expected. And the truth was that, although he didn't quite like complete strangers knowing about his private life, he also kind of wanted to shout his happiness and love for her for everyone to hear. After their first conversation that morning, they'd eventually decided to keep it as private as possible, if only for a little bit until they had had the time to see where this relationship was going.

Fitz looked up at Jemma, raising a discreet eyebrow and she nodded as a small smile pulled at her lips.

"Mmmh...what do you think Dr. Simmons? Is it serious between us?"

Jemma hesitated for a second before her smile turned wider and impossibly soft as she reached for his hand. The one she'd spelled "I love you" on with her finger just this morning.

"I don't know Dr. Fitz. Did Galileo discover the first moons of Jupiter?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END :)  
> Hope you enjoyed the last chapter of this fic. Thank you again to everyone who left comments and kudos and a special big thank you to @libbyweasley for all her help on this :) <3


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